This paper examines the factors contributing to the decline of the ariyama gakuriyo, which has been regarded as an indicator of the decline of the Chishaku-in Temple in the early modern age. Following a comprehensive examination based on past research, the paper focuses on the trends prevalent at the end of the late Edo period. To date, the cause of the decline of the Chishaku-in Temple in the late Edo period has been primarily been discussed in relation to the Tosa Domain’s use of Chishaku-in as an encampment from the Bunkyu era. It is evident that the encampment significantly damaged the temple; however, in this paper, we present a consideration of the situation surrounding learning at Chishaku-in during the late Edo period (slightly before the encampment was made and, in particular, during the Ansei era) from a social and political–historical perspective. This perspective is based on the characteristics of monk Chijun of the Shingi Shingon sect, who participated in political movements on the pretext of studying in this temple and “became an imperial loyalist samurai.”
